Quick Hits: Wainwright, D’Backs, Hultzen, Royals
The Cardinals rolled to a 9-1 win over the Pirates in Game One of their NLDS series today, as A.J. Burnett allowed seven runs in just two innings while Adam Wainwright allowed a run on three hits over seven innings. Pittsburgh has had to deal with Wainwright as a division rival for years yet MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch (via Twitter) points out that Wainwright could've been a Pirate 13 years ago. The Bucs were preparing to take Wainwright as an outfielder in the second round (with the 59th overall pick) of the 2000 draft, but the Braves took Wainwright 29th overall and the rest is history.
Here are some more news items as we look ahead to Friday's ALDS series openers…
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers said his team will look for a left-handed bat this offseason, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports, and that next hitter will likely come in a trade. "We're going to look at free agents, but I think this is one of the weaker free-agent markets I've seen in some time, so that might lead us toward looking at trade partners more," Towers said.
- Mariners southpaw Danny Hultzen underwent left shoulder labrum and rotator-cuff surgery on Tuesday and could miss the entire 2014 season while recovering, Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times reports. MLB.com ranked Hultzen as the 18th-best prospect in the sport in the site's preseason rankings, while Baseball America (#29) and ESPN's Keith Law (#66) also thought highly of the 23-year-old lefty. Hultzen was the second overall pick of the 2011 draft and was quickly moving up the Seattle farm system, posting a 2.05 ERA, 4.86 K/BB and 10.0 K/9 in six Triple-A starts last season.
- Some of the flaws of the new collective bargaining agreement can be seen in the case of the Royals, ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required) argues, as small-market teams who finish just shy of the postseason are somewhat "punished" by the system.
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News looks at which players in the postseason could be targets for the Yankees or Mets in free agency or the trade market this winter. Some players could fit on either club, such as Ricky Nolasco. Martino says the Mets "tossed around" Nolasco's name when discussing a Giancarlo Stanton trade with the Marlins last spring.
Minor Moves: D’Backs, Brewers, Orioles
Here are today's outright assignments and minor moves from around the league…
- The Diamondbacks have outrighted right-hander Matt Langwell (to Triple-A) and outfielder Keon Broxton (to Double-A) off the 40-man roster, the team announced (via Twitter). Langwell, who was acquired by the Snakes in the Jason Kubel trade, posted a 5.14 ERA in 14 relief innings with Cleveland and Arizona in his rookie season. Broxton, a third round pick in the 2009 draft, posted a .655 OPS in 372 PA at Double-A last year.
- Brewers infielder Taylor Green has cleared waivers and will be outrighted off the 40-man roster, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (on Twitter). Green and teammate Mat Gamel were waived by the Brewers earlier this week (Gamel was recently claimed by the Cubs). Hip surgery cost the 27-year-old corner infielder his season, but Green is a career .311/.386/.513 hitter at Triple-A.
- Haudricourt also reports that the Brewers have outrighted outfielder Josh Prince and right-hander Nick Bucci (Twitter link). Prince, 25, hit .237/.338/.368 with 11 homers and 25 steals at Triple-A this year and receive nine PAs with the big league club. Bucci, 23, missed most of the season with injury for a second straight year.
- The Orioles announced that they have reinstated right-hander Eric Beaulac from the 15-day disabled list and outrighted him to Triple-A Norfolk. Beaulac, 26, was placed on the DL with a torn labrum in his right hip after having his contract selected on Sept. 1. He posted a 1.96 ERA with 20 strikeouts and 17 walks in 18 1/3 innings between High-A and Double-A this season.
- As can be seen in MLBTR's DFA Tracker, Clay Rapada of the Indians and Chris Robinson of the Padres are in DFA limbo.
Rosenthal On Blue Jays, Rangers, Kemp, Francona
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports posted his latest edition of Full Count. Here's a look at some of the highlights..
- The Blue Jays constantly get calls on Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista and as always, they're willing to listen on anything. The shortage of quality hitters out there could lead to better offers than they've gotten in the past, but their stance remains the same: neither one will be moved unless it leads to an improvement of their big league team.
- Whether the Rangers are postseason-bound or not, their biggest need this winter will be a No. 3 hitter with Nelson Cruz hitting the open market. The Marlins swear that they're keeping Giancarlo Stanton and Robinson Cano isn't a fit for a team that already has too many middle infielders. One option could be Matt Kemp, if the Dodgers will part with him.
- Indians manager Terry Francona has an out clause in his contract that will allow him to go elsewhere if the club fires GM Chris Antonetti, according to sources. The length of Antonetti's contract isn't clear, but he has at least through 2014 and given their success, they're unlikely to make a GM change or lose Francona anytime soon.
- A shakeup of the D'Backs coaching staff is imminent, the only question is how expansive it will be. If Matt Williams bolts for a managerial job elsewhere, he could take a couple of coaches with him as well.
Quick Hits: Commissioner, Rollins, Diamondbacks
Now that Bud Selig has announced he will retire following the 2014 season, speculation has already begun about who will be Major League Baseball's next commissioner. ESPN's Jayson Stark thinks it would be "a monumental upset" if MLB doesn't go with an internal candidate, and the favorites are league executive vice-presidents Rob Manfred and Tim Brosnan, and MLB Advanced Media CEO Bob Bowman. Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan hears that Manfred is the safest and most well-rounded pick, though some sources consider Brosnan to be the better candidate. Stark and Passan list such names as Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, Mets GM Sandy Alderson, Indians president Mark Shapiro and Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall as other possible choices.
Here are some notes as Yankee Stadium says goodbye to Mariano Rivera…
- Jimmy Rollins is confident that the Phillies already have the pieces they need to succeed thanks to their emerging youth, CSNPhilly.com's Corey Seidman writes. “That old window's closed," Rollins admitted. "This is a brand new thing. You've still got the pieces, but this is a brand new thing going forward. Obviously we would love to have that right-handed bat, but Darin Ruf has come up and done that so far. We're going to get Ryan [Howard] back, hopefully a healthy Ryan back on his legs and strong."
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers will recommend to ownership that manager Kirk Gibson be retained for next season, Towers told reporters (including MLB.com's Steve Gilbert). Gibson has a 289-277 record since taking over as Arizona's manager halfway through the 2010 season and he led the team to an NL West title in 2011. Both Gibson and Towers are only under contract through the end of the 2014 season.
- While Brad Ziegler has enjoyed being the Diamondbacks' closer, he tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that it doesn't matter if he's closing or in his usual set-up role next season. Ziegler has a 2.28 ERA and 12 saves over 71 IP and a league-best 76 games this season. He's going into his third and final year of arbitration eligibility though there has been talk that Arizona will try to work out a contract extension.
- Jack Zduriencik's mistakes as the Mariners' general manager are recapped by Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times in a piece that chronicles the team's strategies and major transactions over the last several years. While Baker holds Zduriencik accountable for his own mistakes, he also points the finger at the club's upper management for the larger issues surrounding the Mariners' lack of recent success.
- John Danks is "embarrassed" by his performance since signing a five-year, $65MM extension with the White Sox before the 2012 season, the southpaw tells MLB.com's Scott Merkin. "The goal is always to throw 200-plus innings, take the ball every day and give us a chance to win. I've got three years to make everyone believe it was worth it," Danks said. "That's part of my motivating factor. I want to be the productive player I'm expected to be."
- "The Cubs are the last-place team poised to contend the soonest. The Astros are the one with the brightest future," Jim Callis writes for MLB.com in his analysis of both teams' young talent.
MLBTR's Zach Links contributed to this post
West Links: Washington, Berkman, Astros, D-Backs
It's time for a managerial change in Arlington, opines ESPN's David Schoenfield, who breaks down Rangers manager Ron Washington's questionable bullpen management over the past week. Schoenfield concedes that the Rangers have had poor luck this season, including injuries to Matt Harrison and Alexi Ogando and Colby Lewis' failure to return. However, he ultimately concludes: "…a team with flaws can't win if its manager is making decisions that hurt its chances of winning. The Rangers have seven games remaining. I suspect they'll be the final seven games Washington manages for the Rangers."
Here's more out of baseball's Western divisions…
- Lance Berkman hasn't decided if he will retire after the season or try to play again in 2014, he told Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle. Whatever Puma decides, no announcement will come until after the season.
- The Astros have secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft, and unsurprisingly they're already looking at NC State lefty Carlos Rodon, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Rodon has long been assumed to be the No. 1 pick in next year's draft. Houston has selected Stanford right-hander Mark Appel and Puerto Rican prep shortstop Carlos Correa with the previous two No. 1 selections. McTaggart spoke with scouting director Mike Elias about the team's approach to the draft.
- The emergence of Chris Owings leaves the Diamondbacks with uncertainty at shortstop, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. GM Kevin Towers would like to get playing time for both Owings and Didi Gregorius but knows that a time-share will hinder both players' development. As Piecoro points out, Arizona also has Cliff Pennington under contract for next season. Willie Bloomquist, a free agent, isn't likely to return to the Snakes, he adds.
Quick Hits: Kendrick, Bradley, Balentien, Brennaman
This Sunday is Mariano Rivera Day at Yankee Stadium — a day set aside to commemorate the Hall of Fame career of the greatest closer in baseball history. However, as the New York Post's Ken Davidoff writes, Rivera came close to never saving a game in Yankee pinstripes. Prior to the 1996 season, the Yankees debated flipping Rivera to the Mariners in exchange for offensively challenged shortstop Felix Fermin because they weren't sure a hot prospect by the name of Derek Jeter was ready. Several members of the Yankees staff, including then-assistant-GM Brian Cashman and then-manager Joe Torre talked president George Steinbrenner out of the deal. Jeter went on to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, while Rivera finished third in the Cy Young voting with 107 2/3 innings of dominant relief work. Here's more from around the league…
- Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick will be shut down after getting a second opinion on his injured right shoulder, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Though the move could be purely precautionary, Kendrick had expected to return to the rotation. As Zolecki notes, any concern over Kendrick's shoulder could play a role in the team's decision whether to offer him salary arbitration. The 29-year-old is set to reach his fourth and final season of arbitration eligibility, and will be due a raise on the $4.5MM he earned last year. He has struggled to a 4.70 ERA in 182 innings on the season, his worst campaign since 2010. Advanced metrics see things somewhat differently, though they do not necessarily make him look much more appealing in broader terms: Kendrick's 4.01 FIP and 4.15 xFIP are actually the second-best tallies of his career. By measure of SIERA, the hurler has never posted a sub-4.00 season.
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers says that phenom Archie Bradley will not reach the bigs this year, reports Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. "To add him to the roster in the winter when roster spots are very valuable to us — and the team being pretty much out of contention — didn't make a lot of sense," said Towers. The 21-year-old starter will, however, get a chance to earn a spot in the club's 2014 rotation in spring training, according to the Snakes' GM.
- Wladimir Balentien's historic season in Japan has led to speculation that he might be a big league target in spite of his long-term deal with the Yakult Swallows. For his part, however, Balentien insists he has had no thoughts of a move, per a Nikkan Sports report (link in Japanese) transmitted via Twitter by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. "No. I'm surprised that's come up," said Balentien in reference to the rumors."I'm with the Swallows for four years."
- Marty Brennaman, the Reds' radio voice since 1974, has just inked a new three-year deal at age 71, reports Nick Hurm of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Brennaman received the Ford C. Frick Award over thirteen years back, and partnered with fellow legend Joe Nuxhall for over thirty seasons.
Jeff Todd contributed to this post.
Quick Hits: Jimenez, D’Backs, Cubs, Dodgers
Ubaldo Jimenez has managed to turn things around as of late and is looking more like the pitcher that the Indians expected to have when they traded first-round picks Drew Pomeranz and Alex White for him more than two years ago. His resurgence is incredibly well-timed, as he’ll be a free agent this winter. What does he attribute the turnaround to? Jimenez says that he’s no longer obsessing about getting his velocity back to where it once was and is instead focusing on mixing up his pitches, writes MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. Here’s more from around baseball..
- Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers took responsibility for the team’s .500 record and acknowledges that neither he nor skipper Kirk Gibson are safe, writes Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com. Towers didn’t get into specifics about his offseason plan to improve the roster, but he sounds pretty content with the offense as it stands.
- Cubs skipper Dale Sveum doesn’t have a vote of confidence yet from team brass, but he understands that the process comes with the territory of being a big league manager, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.
- The Dodgers announced the signing of a relatively unknown Japanese prospect in 19-year-old right-hander Takumi Numata this week and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com attempts to profile him based off of the crumbs of information that are available.
- Raul Ibanez and Kendrys Morales are the last two people to blame for the Mariners‘ woes this season, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. Barring obvious bat improvements at DH and first base/outfield front, Baker says there’s nothing wrong with having both impending free agents return to the team in 2014.
NL West Notes: Balentien, Giants, Tanaka, D’Backs
Wladimir Balentien smashed his 56th home run for the Yakult Swallows on Sunday to break Sadaharu Oh's Japanese single-season record and some within the Giants organization have wondered if they could find a way to acquire him, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. There's one problem, however - Balentien signed a three-year deal with the Swallows before this season, which means he will not be a free agent until the end of 2015. “He wants to come back. That’s what he told me two or three weeks ago. His dream is to come back and play in the major leagues," said Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens. “We’ve talked about him, but nobody knows how to go about it, to get out of the contract." While the idea has been batted around, Schulman cautions that the conversations have been theoretical and have not involved GM Brian Sabean. Here's more out of the NL West..
- The Dodgers have scouted Japanese right-handed pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, a source tells Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Earlier today we learned that the rival Angels are also looking at the Rakuten Golden Eagles standout.
- Diamondbacks left-hander Matt Reynolds learned that he'll require Tommy John surgery after his MRI was reviewed, according to Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona (via Twitter). The 28-year-old, who posted a 1.98 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 30 relief outings this season, will probably go under the knife with Dr. James Andrews next week.
- Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) runs down the players that have exceeded his expectations this season, highlighted by the MVP-caliber play of Diamondbacks standout Paul Goldschmidt.
D-Backs Could Look To Extend Parra, Ziegler
The Diamondbacks are expected to pursue long-term deals for both Gerardo Parra and Brad Ziegler this offseason, writes Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona.
Interest in an extension for Parra was actually first noted by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic last week. General manager Kevin Towers offered high praise for Parra's glove to both reporters, noting that Parra is the type of player who can win games with his glove and throwing arm alone. Towers said to Piecoro that he feels Parra profiles better as a center fielder from an offensive standpoint, though he's a better defender on the outfield corners.
Towers voiced his pleasure with Ziegler to Magruder, praising his right-hander for pitching well in any situation:
"He's pitched well. He's pitched well since he's been here, in lot of different roles," Towers said. "When he comes in a ballgame, I feel pretty confident, whether it is the seventh, eighth or ninth."
Parra is earning $2.35MM this season and is under team control through 2015 as an arbitration eligible player. Ziegler, who was acquired from the A's for Brandon Allen and Jordan Norberto in July 2011, is earning $3.15MM this season and is eligible for free agency following the 2014 campaign.
Towers' comments on Parra's glove appear to be spot on, as UZR/150 pegs him at a sky-high +29.4 runs, and The Fielding Bible estimates that he's saved 38 runs on defense alone in 2013. At the plate, he's delivered a .266/.322/.401 slash line that checks in just below league average (98 OPS+).
As for Ziegler, he's turned in a 2.26 ERA in 67 2/3 innings. And, while his 5.1 K/9 is low, he mitigates that with a 2.8 BB/9 rate and a whopping 70.3 percent ground-ball rate that checks in as the highest among pitchers who have thrown at least 20 innings this season.
Parra told Magruder that he "loves" playing in Arizona but doesn't want to listen to contract offers until after the season and is focused on finishing strong. Ziegler simply said he wants to pitch for a winning team, regardless of what inning he's entering the game: "I want to be on a winning team, and whatever I can do to help the team win, you are never going to find me complaining about my role on the team."
International Notes: Tanaka, Abreu
The latest on some of the top international targets for Major League teams this winter…
- The Angels have been scouting Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka and will consider a run at him this offseason, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. Tanaka represents a way for the team to upgrade its rotation with a controllable, young arm (Tanaka is currently 24) without having to sacrifice players like Mark Trumbo and Howie Kendrick in a trade, DiGiovanna adds.
- In his game recap of Tanaka's most recent start (he threw a 10-hit, one-run complete game), Baseball America's Ben Badler cites Japanese media outlet Sanspo in reporting that the Yankees, Red Sox and Diamondbacks all had scouts in attendance once again. All three were said to have scouts in attendance for another recent Tanaka outing. Badler's subscription-only piece includes a full report on Tanaka's performance.
- The Phillies aren't likely to make a play for Cuban slugger Jose Dariel Abreu, a team source told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. The presence of Ryan Howard and Abreu's inability to handle an outfield spot leave them without a place to put him despite the need for right-handed power. Zolecki adds that the Phillies have worked out top prospect Maikel Franco at first base as well, so they could have a power-hitting, right-handed first baseman to eventually replace Howard anyway for a fraction of Abreu's price.